Orthotown October 2016 - 38


understanding of how the schedule has been
set up, and know best practices regarding
patient flow.
Once a robust schedule template is
in place and the proper employee base
trained to carry it out, the next step in
building a solid scheduling architecture is
removing unnecessary appointments. Often
a previously decided-upon standard leads
to appointments that are unnecessary or
redundant. Here are three suggestions for
removing such appointments:
Space out patient appointments to
approximately eight weeks. This can seem
unrealistic for some, but this time frame
should be an end goal. If adjustments made
to patients are optimized, it is definitely
attainable.
Minimize the number of follow-up
appointments after a patient has completed
treatment. For cases such as retainer checks,
if you inform patients of what to expect
after the conclusion of treatment, multiple
follow-up appointments won't be necessary.
Properly inform patients of what is
considered an "emergency." If time is being
spent taking care of patients who have made
emergency appointments but could have
taken steps to manage the issues on their
own, it can cause undesirable setbacks in
patient flow.
While it may not be ideal, those unexpected appointments happen. Leave a small
amount of room in the schedule for such
appointments, which can prevent the need

for any after-hours appointments. This is
important for team and workplace morale,
as well as productivity. The amount of room
made in the schedule for these occurrences
varies depending on patient volume, but
when patients are educated, the number
of spaces for emergency appointments can
be reduced.

Benefits of a powerful
scheduling architecture
An effective scheduling architecture
can help your practice progress toward the
goals you have set. As a schedule template is
reworked, it will become more evident that
efficiency will lead to increased revenue. A
streamlined schedule results in more patients
being seen, and additional room for growth.
Additionally, it can lead to a satisfied and
productive team.
Correcting potential mistakes that are
part of the current schedule means that
overworked employees and trying to catch
up throughout the day will be a thing of
the past. Team morale will improve, and so
will the patient experience.
It's important to remember that scheduling architecture is a living, breathing
thing: As the practice changes and grows,
so will the need for an improved scheduling
process. Continue to regularly evaluate this
process and make sure the schedule template
is meeting the needs of the practice. Don't
wait to begin the development of a schedule
architecture suited for you! ■

Who dictates the length of appointments
in your scheduling architecture?
Share your thoughts in the comments of the online version
of this article at orthotown.com/magazine.

38

OCTOBER 2016 // orthotown.com
http://www.orthotown.com/magazine http://www.orthotown.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown October 2016
